This course introduces you to the
pleasures and subtlety of the details and narrative artistry contained in the
novel and short stories.The course
is less an historical survey than an intense appreciation of individual works of
art.

You will read different
literary forms of fiction, and you should become able to identify motifs, themes, and structural
patterns in the literature. Additionally, you will learn historical, philosophical,
religious, and cultural information to help increase your understanding and appreciation
of the works. You will need critical reading and writing skills to successfully complete
this course, hence the prerequisites of English 1001 and 1002. By the end of the
course, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the texts, the authors and literary
movements that produced them, and the elements of those texts, such as symbols, themes,
and points of view.

Required Texts

Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New
York: Doubleday, 2003.

Charters, Ann. The Story and Its Writer.
8th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011.

Breakdown of Grades (not including reductions
for poor attendance, etc.)

Class Participation

20%

Examination #1

15%

Group Presentations

15%

Examination #2

15%

Researched Reaction Paper

20%

Examination #3

15%

Class Participation: You will be evaluated on your contribution
and efforts to the class. All homework, in-class writings, computer assignments,
unrehearsed presentations, and quizzes will be graded and make up part of your class participation
grade. You can expect a brief quiz on each story set at the beginning of the
class in which we first begin discussing them. Material from lecture or other
reading assignments may also be assessed this way. Additionally, preparation for class, participation in class discussion, and
tardiness contribute to this category of evaluation.

The Paper: Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, laser-printed, and follow standard MLA
format. In this paper you will react to a work of literature that we've covered in
class, explaining what its message is, how that message relates to you, whether you find
it an enjoyable or useful read, and whether you think it is a good or great work of
literature-quoting
from it to support these responses. In the researched reaction portion
of the paper you will reveal how two published readers have answered the above prompts.
Finally, you will explain
whether you agree or disagree with those readers' opinions, using the text itself to make
either the proof or refutation of that opinion. This paper should, of course, have
a clearly stated
thesis statement in the first paragraph and contain quoted support from the
texts to show how and why you've come to the opinion that you have. Late papers are
accepted and graded only at the instructor's discretion. The due dates of the papers correspond to the topic of the paper.
They are due at the beginning of the class
period the week following the conclusion of our in-class study of said subject.

The Examinations: You will be tested over the material covered in
class lecture, discussions, and assigned readings. The examinations will include
short answer, multiple choice, and passage identification questions, but will be largely
based upon essay questions. These exams will show that you can read these texts
critically and analytically, identify common themes and issues in them, and write clearly
about them.

The Group Presentations: You will be asked
to form a group of two-four students for the purpose of teaching the class
a story during the second or third unit of the syllabus. You will be asked, during the
first unit, to form groups and to pick a story from the text that is not already
on the syllabus. Your
group should research the story so that you can share with the class its theme,
its historical or authorial context, and its use of literary elements and
its artistic use of language. Additionally, you should prepare an attendance
quiz and discussion questions related to the story. You will present these
on the day the story is assigned to the syllabus, and of course, you can assume
that your classmates will already have read the story. You may write your
paper on the story your group covers.More information on group presentations will be presented later in
the first unit.

Attendance

Because the class, itself, will determine the quantity and depth of the
texts we study, your attendance is extremely important. You cannot learn (or help others
learn through insightful discussion) if you are not in class. You will not receive
credit for any work you miss or fail to turn in to me while or because you are out of
class. It is your
responsibility to process a withdrawal through WebAdvisor or request that I withdraw you by 12:00 PM on
November 4th, if you find that you are not going to be
able to complete the course successfully.

Note: The only absences I consider excused are IVCC-sponsored trips.
If you will be attending one of these, your assignments and papers must be turned in
to me in advance of the trip.

General Education Credit

This course is a general education course, which fulfills a humanities requirement toward your bachelor's degree. It has been accepted by IAI as an
H3
901 course, so you know that it will be accepted by all participating schools. Additionally, this course will help you attain the following goals, deemed central to IVCC's general education program:

1. To apply analytical and problem solving skills to personal, social, and professional issues and situations.

2. To communicate orally and in writing, socially and interpersonally.

3. To develop an awareness of the contributions made to civilization by the diverse cultures of the world, including those within our own society.

4. To understand and use contemporary technology effectively and to understand its impact on the individual and society.

5. To work and study effectively both individually and in collaboration with others.
6. To understand what it means to act ethically and responsibly as an individual in one's career and as a member of society.

7. To develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle physically, mentally, and spiritually.

8. To appreciate the ongoing value of learning, self-improvement, and career planning.

Expected Student Outcomes

1. The student will read texts with understanding and
appreciation, reacting to and analyzing what he or she has read.

2. The student will listen actively to lectures and discussions,
asking questions for clarification on ideas or issues, if needed.

3. The student will participate in discussion, offering his or her
insights about the literature or asking the class or instructor for clarification on
material he or she does not completely understand.

4. The student will integrate and cite accurately information of
other writers, using other writers' opinions, beliefs, and/or observations to support his
or her own opinions, beliefs, and/or observations.

5. The student will synthesize lecture, discussion, and text
materials to come to a more solid world view on the impact writing has and has had upon
history and the impact history has and has had upon writing.

Desired Attitudes Toward the Course

Students will respect each other's personal beliefs and be committed to
helping each other learn more about the course information and themselves. Students
will help each other improve their written and oral communication skills so that each
student may be more confident in his or her own unique personal voice and see the
authority in his or her own personal experience. Students will prepare thoroughly
for class.

Plagiarism

The College's policy on plagiarism,
as detailed in the Student Code of Conduct, applies in this class; I will
question you if your work does not appear to be your own. Keep all notes, outlines,
drafts, and finished assignments so that you can demonstrate that writing you have
submitted is your own work, should any question of plagiarism arise.

Assistance

You may be eligible for
academic accommodations if you have a physical, psychiatric, or cognitive
disability. If you have a disability and need more information regarding
possible accommodations, please contact Tina Hardy at 224-0284 or Judy Mika
at 224-0350 or stop by office C-211.

Read Eudora Welty's
"Why I Live a the P. O." and "A Worn
Path" and its related commentary, and Appendix 4, "Writing About Short Stories"
Take Quiz #7

Th

9/18

TakeExamination #1

T

9/23

Read
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" as
well as the related commentaries
Take Quiz #8

Th

9/25

Read Tim O'Brien's "The
Things They Carried" Louise Erdrich's "The Red Convertible" and the related commentaries
(Mason, O'Brien, and Silko)Lecture: Names
as Symbols
Take Quiz #9

T

9/30

Read Ursula K. LE
Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and the related commentary
and John Edgar Wideman's "newborn thrown in trash and dies" and "Stories"
and Junot Díaz's "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie"
Take Quiz #10